The Reward

Mmmm...it tasted and smelled sooooo good, too!


And why, oh why am I addicted to kitchen gadgets? I have always loved the "kitchen" stores at the outlets conveniently located near my grandmother's house. (And don't you just adore Williams-Sonoma? I love the new one that opened recently near us!) Each time I visit the outlets, I usually have a small kitchen gadget on my list so that I can justify perusing their aisles, making a purchase, and trying out a new gadget. :)


Last week, I bought this flat whisk! I heard they were handy for sauces and gravies, so I had my eyes open.




I know...big excitement! But I was tickled to bring it home and try to think up something to make with it. (The crazy never ceases!) So tonight I made gravy to go along with the chicken. It was so much fun to deglaze that pan with this little whisk helping me! And Scott raved about the gravy, too, so I feel that my $5 splurge was validated. Or else it was the new salt blend I picked up at the grocery store. I think that might have helped.


Why or why am I hooked on kitchen accessories?

Just like they made it in the Little House

Well, perhaps we didn't do things exactly like Ma Ingalls and the girls did, however, we did make butter today!

We started with an empty, clean peanut butter jar, two marbles and some cream.


We filled the jar halfway and did this in two batches.

The marbles went in, the lid was tightly screwed on and then we started to shake, shake, shake...

...shake, shake, shake...

...and shake, shake, shake some more. Even Gracie got in on it.

After awhile, we stopped hearing the marbles clattering around, and a wall began to form on the inside of the jar, like so...

Now we're getting reeeeeeally close. But not quite...

At long last...BUTTER! (uh...yum??)

Then we strained off the buttermilk (Scott can give you his expert critique of that tonight, but no one here cared to sample the buttermilk!)

Voila! Butter!

A pint of cream actually made quite a bit more than this, but Lily really wanted to use these little dishes, so I took a picture of some of our butter looking all pretty-like.

Joey and Gracie peetered out in the "churning/shaking" department, but Lily surprisingly did the second batch almost entirely by herself! I think, it helped that the second half-pint of cream was already closer to room temperature.

I missed my morning work-out due to my sick baby waking up too early, but between shaking the butter and kneading the bread (that we had to make to go along with homemade butter) and carrying around my clingy toddler all morning, I would say I have had a pretty great upper body workout today. :)

Now we can't wait until dinnertime when our bread is baked to enjoy our hard-days work...just like the Ingalls' did. (Well, almost!)

Totally Cracking Up!

A homeschooling video...too funny! I don't think our family resembles this one....at least not yet. :)

(And I certainly hope I never drive a white conversion!)

The Fabric of Life

This weekend, I spent some time starting a project that has been on my list for awhile. I have this "thing" about my baby's clothing. I'm attached to them. There are such strong, sentimental ties between me and my baby's clothes, that I had a very hard time deciding what to do with some of the most special pieces! The idea of a Baby Memory Quilt crossed my mind a long time ago, and I decided to loosely follow this plan.

I finally started on Lily's and Joey's quilts. I still haven't gone through Gracie's baby clothes...because she's still wearing them. :) So I think I will postpone her quilt until a later time. (Plus, I need to gather enough courage to go through her bins of sweet baby clothes!)

So far, I have turned these...




and these...


into this!






And these...

and these...

into this!

I only have the fronts pieced together, but already I am in love with them! Lily pointed out her favorite "big Mommy" dress and Joey remembers some of his outfits, too! Plus I've been pulling up pictures of them in their baby clothes to show them, and we are all have a good time reminiscing about their little outfits and cute, baby-selves! Even Scott has been walking past the ironing board and saying things like, "Aww, I remember those truck overalls..." and, "Didn't Lily wear that when we went to that restaurant in Florida?" He has recalled some different things that I had forgotten...it's so cute!

I am really glad to have them pieced together, and it was surprisingly very easy. (I have never quilted, before.) My sister came over on Saturday and she cut out her daughter's quilt squares while I began sewing mine. It was so much fun to have a little "quilting bee" together. Now I can't wait to go to the fabric store to pick out the backing fabric. I want them to be soft and "drapey" not stiff and puffy or too "quilt-like." So we'll see what I can find.

I think once I finish the quilts, they are going to become property of Mommy. :) Quilts for the kids?? No way, Mommy is sleeping with these! They remind me of my sweet, chubby little babies sooo much!

A Helpful Hint...

...should you find yourself baking with a four-year old boy: Salt sprinkled over an egg that cracked open on the floor makes the clean up really easy! (No need to ask how the egg managed to drop to the floor.)

I read this tip somewhere long ago, and never had the occasion to try it out until today. I used two pieces of previously discarded cardboard :) to scrape the mess right up. A second application of salt was necessary, and voila! an egg-free floor. A little spritz of cleaner and a papertowel later and my floor was good as new. Or, well, as good as it was before the egg incident. :)

The Best Medicine

It's been one of "those" days around here. The baby finally slept well last night in her new bed, but Mommy is still tired. We went away yesterday and everything feels haywire on the return day. Plus it's mid-winter and little children are a little stir-crazy from being inside all day (so is Mommy) and in general I'm feeling like an unmotivated, disheveled, fat flunkie of a homeschooling wife and Mommy who is crying into her orange. (see...I'm trying to eat healthy!)

But the Lord sent along just the right "medicine" for my situation as I was scanning through Lily's devotional book. She does her devotions with Scott and they are studying Luke 2. One particular page asked a question like, "The shepherds joyously went looking for Jesus! If you had been a shepherd on that night, what would you have said to Joseph and Mary?"

Below that she scrawled this answer:


"Can I please hold the baby?"


I'm still laughing. Out loud. Into my orange.

Yearly Revelations

The other day, Lily brought up the subject of her birthday. I started to think, “Didn’t we just get through Christmas?” when she cautioned, as if reading my thoughts, “Don’t worry Mommy! I’m not going to talk about presents, because I don’t want to be covetous.” :)

Then she launched into this long, verbose narrative about her birthday cake. What she wants her cake to look like. What it should be made of. The colors she wants to use on this masterpiece....and on and on...

My mind slowly wandered to other thoughts as I “yes-ed” and “mm-hmm-ed” her, every so often. However, I started to pay attention slightly, when I heard her chatter about, “…And I want a ‘7’ on the top. Maybe an icing ‘7’ or maybe one of those neat candle’7’s…”

Seven? Why would she want an arbitrary “7” on her cake?

And then it dawned on me. She is turning seven in May. As in seven-years old.

Seven?!

Trading Spaces

My baby is currently sleeping in her “big girl” toddler bed for the third night in a row.

Wah, wah, sob, sob.

And let’s not mention the fact that my beautiful, white crib is in pieces in the attic and unoccupied for the first time in over six years, okay?

We did a big room switch on Friday. Actually, it took all of last week to accomplish.

When we first bought this three-bedroom house, we were the parents to just one, tiny baby girl. So her room was painted pink right away (of course). While expecting our second baby, we prepared the third bedroom with neutral walls and when Joey was born, we “boy-ed” it up by adding blue curtains, bedding, wall décor, and accents.

By the time Gracie was on her way, we had to move Joey into Lily’s “girl” room to make room for the new baby. So our Joey has been sleeping in a pink room for lo, these two years. (We did “masculinize” his side of the room.) And of course at that point, the nursery took on a decidedly “girlish” look.

Finally, finally Joe has his “boy” room back! (And the gender specific/organizing gnomes in my head are cheering.) Joey is cheering too. And so are Lily and Gracie. It’s just a regular party over here!

Friday was the big day that Joey’s big boy bed arrived and we did the official switch. He LOVES having his own room with all of his toys and boy things in there.

Gracie has done pretty well in the bed without sides, however she has been sick ever since Friday, so I don’t know how much of it is her maturity and discipline to stay in bed, or just being exhausted and feeling terrible. We shall see tomorrow morning, as it appears that she is on the mend. :)

Even though this has been a big move for me, my heart sings every time I walk down the hall and feel the “pink glow” as I pass the girls’ room and then catch a glimpse of my son’s cars and trucks bedding beyond his door!

Right now some of the walls need to be patched at a few places from the nails that were removed, and then I plan to hang a few things on the walls. Maybe after everything is finished, I will post some photos.

Nighty-Night! (And may we all sleep well…including a certain two-year old with newfound freedom.)

Hallelujah!

Lily was officially discharged from the Burn Recovery Center today! She never needed the scar prevention cream that they routinely prescribe and therefore was discharged about two months earlier than expected!

We are very happy, as she has healed beautifully! The only thing that indicates that she had second degree burns on upwards to 10% of her body just six weeks ago, is a slight mottled pinkness on some of the area, which will fade in the coming months.

God is SO good to us! I know that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And therefore will always be good. But it bears repeating over and over again. The Lord has been good to us. He is right now good to us. And He always will be good to us!

Our happy, healed girlie is my reminder of His Goodness today!

Hallelujah!

The Taste of Summer

My mom purchased a juicy and, suprisingly, very sweet and delicious watermelon this week. She knew her grandchildren were coming over and decided to surprise them with a mid-winter treat (straight from Mexico)!

Let me tell you...when she sliced that baby open, the kitchen was instantly filled with the scent of summer. And I will have you know, I drank in every last drop of it.


And partook of the watermelon too.


And couldn't get enough of it.

Amazing

Have you ever seen these amazing hand paintings? (I received them in an email and linked to this blog, though I have no idea what is on the rest of that person's blog. Beware.)

Incredible. I think my favorites are the second (close-up) elephant- I love how he used the natural texture of the skin to depict the elephant; and the swan...the hand positioning realistically portray the statuesque swan neck.

My Joey loves them too. His animal du jour is flamingo. (Did you know that flamingos fly? We have been forced to learn all about them today.) :)

Ornament Organization

I don't know if this should really be classified as an organizational idea, but the word sounded so lovely with ornament, that I thought I would leave the title that way. :)

Anyhow, here is an idea that I hope will help me in years to come. How many of us remember those craft ornaments that we made as youngsters in school or Jr. church? But somehow we forgot who made what, and my mom can't remember if it was me or my brother who made that woven pretzel "wreath" ornament in class??





So a few years ago, as we were dismantling the tree, I got out a 3x5 card and jotted down the year and a note about any new handmade ornament that was added to our collection that year. It only took a second and it wasn't neat. And then I tucked the card into the ornament box until the following year. And when I put things away the following year, I did the same. Now when I pull the ornaments out, I have some type of record of sentimental ornaments and know which child made which thing and how old they were. And it's fun to reminisce about the keepsakes, even though it's only been a year or two.

Just a simple idea. Perhaps it's a silly one, but it helps me keep things straight. And hopefully one day, when the card is tattered and yellow and my children are grown, we will still be remembering that adorable, little tri-bead candycane that Lily made in Jr. Church. And I will know to which house those ornaments can be shipped. :)

F-5

On Friday, we held a Family & Friends Fun Friday Fellowship...or F-5. Basically, several other young families gathered at church for some pizza and while the children tore the place apart :) the adults got some time to talk and play a game or two. Actually, the women talked and the men played a game. It was a lot of fun and no one had to cook or clean for the event, so it was relaxing at the same time. And F-5 has everything to do with the strength of the tornado that appeared to have blown through due to the damage the kids made to the toy area. :)

I also brought a birthday cookie for our friend Alison who is having a birthday this week and turning a "very big number that starts with a 3." :) So it was a little impromptu birthday celebration as well.

Wow, look at all of those candles. I'm glad that I'm not THAT old. :)

And here is the birthday girl with her two, pretty girls!

I had a great time chatting with other moms, and I never miss an opportunity to skip making dinner. We will have to do it again!

Not Just the Farm Animals

I thought perhaps I would "clear up" after the farm show, but it appears that I now have a cold. Oh well.

As a comforting analgesic, I made this yummy Mini Meatball Soup today. It was healthy and delicious. A nice alternative to ye olde chicken noodle soup when under the weather.

A Farmer's Wife I Am Not

...but we sure did have fun at the farm show yesterday! I have not been to that event since I was a little girl myself, and I forgot how enormous it is. I read on the farm show website that it is the largest, indoor agricultural event in the nation, and by yesterday evening, I was not surprised. There were people everywhere.

We were inspired to visit by our friend Becky and her daughter. They visit the farm show each year with her dad, but he was unable to go this year, so we all went together.

My kids were totally pumped to see the Turkey Hill Duetto cow...they've been to "her website" and love her. :)

First we made the most important (and some would argue...the most "anticipated") stop at the restroom (which is quite a production with seven children, age 6 and under, and 3 strollers), we headed straight for Little Boy Heaven...also known as the Equipment Expo Hall.

As you can imagine, they were in Little Boy Heaven.

We enjoyed some equine events in that arena (another fave), while we had a little lunch. Then we sloooooowly made our way through all of the livestock halls. My sinuses were, surprisingly, the biggest reminder to me that I am not cut out for farm life. I hope I start breathing clearly in a few days.


We caught just a little bit of the Pennsylvania's Best Chef (a la Iron Chef) competition. I would have liked to see more of this, but there were a whole bunch of uninterested children with us. :) Plus, the local chef who won last year, didn't make it to these final rounds. Oh well, maybe next year.



There were all sorts of state-wide vendors there offering free samples and information, and selling their wares. As we made our way through those aisles...with tiring children in tow, I couldn't help but think of the "press" that "thronged" Jesus...there were people everywhere!


A nice play area for the children gave them a much-needed break and a chance to run around and play.

Did I mention that there was free ice cream?




Gracie was thrown into the stocks...it was a really adventurous day.

Apparently there is a ginormous butter sculpture there each year, but I was still impressed. They are going to turn the thing into biodiesel once the show is over. The alternative fuels expo was pretty interesting if one had the time to spend there, by the way.

Lastly (but definitely not least), we were able to mirl with Jendi while there! She and her children and mother are such sweet people...and we really enjoyed the opportunity to meet for the first time. Her children and ours had fun looking at all of the animals together. We must have been a sight with a gaggle of TEN children, but we had such a great time!!

(Pardon the cow rumps behind us.)

Experiencing the farm show as a Mommy is very different from my girlhood memories...but awesome, nonetheless. There were so many more things I would have liked to explore with the children, and hopefully in future years, we will get the chance.

Until then, I want to allow my sinuses to clear, do a little "farm-ish" laundry, and pick the hay out of the stroller. :)

Mommy Brain Strikes Again

During the Great Freezer Cleanout of '08, I found a bag of boneless chicken that I had previously cut into strips and half of a bag of frozen peas. And since I had some half-n-half in the fridge, I decided to make my friend's recipe for Chicken Tetrazzini (thanks Nanette!).

After a long day involving laundry, cleaning, homeschool, refereeing children, phonecalls, and a daddy who was working late, I finally turned to the dinner prep. And while I'm preparing to throw the chicken in the pan, I realize, that it's not chicken at all. It's pork!

Pork Tetrazzini??

Mommy-brain strikes again.

It was actually pretty good. Pork is the other white meat, afterall.

Isn't this weather glorious?

It is 60 degress outside with brilliant sun...come on spring!

What a tease this weather is. Now that Christmas is over, I am all ready for the cold weather to be over. I even turned down our heat by a few degrees, today. Ah well, such is life. I guess we will just have to enjoy it while it lasts.

(and pray for more)

(and visit Florida)

:)

** Edited to clarify:

Yes, I really do wish for winter to be over after the New Year. I could deal with a 5 month spring.

Ironic, isn't it?

When I first married my Floridian, I used to smugly boast of how I enjoyed the cold weather, I was a Northeastern girl, after all.

However, in a strange and humiliating case of role-reversal, my husband, of all people, is actually claiming that the cold isn't bothering him anymore, and it's ME who is wishing for warmer weather! My soapbox has conveniently been put away.

Really, I think it has to do with having 3 children (requiring me to stay home quite a bit during the winter) and the fact that our house doesn't have a lot of natural lighting. And I do love me some sunshine! I think once those circumstances change, I will get a little hardier.

I hope, at least.

It's a great day to clean out your freezer

That's what I did this morning. I grabbed some of my hub's snow gloves (because I didn't feel like taking the time to find some that fit me...I came to regret this laziness) and set off for the freezer in the basement. And because it's so cold today, I wasted minimal energy and my food didn't get all frosty in the process.

We have an upright freezer in the basement. And it is currently rather full. This was not the case about a month ago. But then I hit Sam's and some great sales at my grocery store, and all of the sudden, the thing is bursting...and not just with sweet corn, blueberries and rhubarb, for a change. :)

But things got out of hand quickly. And today I was trying to come up with a workable menu for the next two weeks, and was having trouble, because I couldn't remember what I had (and what I had to get rid of!)

So I organized that baby and the freezer attached to the fridge too, and now my heart is singing! (It's amazing what makes the heart of a SAHM sing.) I could make up a menu for the next SIX weeks (which I'm not going to do. But I could) because I have a much better picture of what is in there.

I love a good organization project. Especially one that produces visible, functional results.

As a side note...do you have any idea what happens to banana slices that have been left in the freezer a tad too long?

It's not a pretty sight.

Bread Blessings

I made my family's favorite Pumpkin Bread the other day and I got to use my fun new Nordicware! My mom gave me the heart pan for Christmas (thanks mom!) and I picked up the tractor pan at Walmart.

I LOVE being a mommy! Simply baking some bread in a shaped pan is cause for great excitement and appreciation. I am so blessed to have a boy and two girls who are wild about "heart bread" and "tractor bread!" I'm blessed to have a kitchen of my very own, with nice cooking utensils and appliances. I'm blessed to live in a country where electricity is available to make the whole process a lot easier. :) I'm blessed with a husband who provides for us to make my staying home with our children possible. I am an exceptionally blessed girl, and a heart and a tractor are only two, small reminders!

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Revenge of the Corn Popper

Scott had one as a child.


Guess what Scott's dad gave Gracie?


Revenge is sweet.

We're all safe in Dodge...

...now that Sheriff Joe is in town.

(I'm finding my son's newfound interest in role-play terribly adorable, these days. Don't mind me.)

15+

Last Saturday, I celebrated my fifteenth "spiritual" birthday! I didn't get to post this due to the ensuing craziness. I want to share the story of how the Lord changed my life. This is something I wrote several years ago, and I am going to post it here. Perhaps this won't seem thrilling or magical to some, but there is no greater miracle than a wretched sinner experiencing Christ's saving grace! I hope if you have not already done so, that you will consider your need of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ today!



Have you ever desired a purpose in your life? Have you ever longed for real joy and an inner peace? For several years, I lived my life trying to acquire these things. Let me tell you how I came to find them.

I was raised in a Christian home. Church was a regular part of my life. I attended a Christian school from kindergarten to graduation. I was taught the truths of the Bible from a very young age. I was taught that, in order to go to Heaven, one must be born again the Bible way.(Note: “salvation”, “saved” and “born again” are Biblical terms referring to the forgiveness of sins by God and the rescue of a person from the power and penalty of that sin. This is God’s requirement for everlasting life.) The Bible tells us, in John, chapter 3, verse 3, that Jesus said, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Having heard these things so many times, I followed through with the right motions, doing what I believed needed to be done. I prayed a prayer, and thought I was saved.

When I reached my teen years, I became very active in my church’s youth group, and many other aspects of service in my church. I even went out and told others about their need of a personal relationship with God. All through this time, I believed I was going to Heaven when I died, because I had prayed a prayer a few years back. But, there was something desperately wrong. I remember many times praying and feeling like my prayers were “bouncing off the ceiling.” I knew there was a God, and the Bible told me that He loves me. But, why wasn’t He hearing me? I could never read my Bible, much less learn from it. I genuinely enjoyed “serving” the Lord, but I think I did so because that was what I was taught was good. I enjoyed going to church, because that was where all my friends were. However, I could never apply the Bible to my life - it never really made sense to me.

In December of 1992, our youth group went on our annual Winter Weekend Camp. I was excited to be going! By this time, I was starting to search for something that was “missing” in my spiritual life. I didn’t doubt my salvation, because I had prayed my prayer a couple of years back. I remembered the prayer, and knew I said all the right things. I now know, though, that there is much more to salvation than just words. In Luke, chapter 13, verse 3, the Bible says Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Being born again is not just words. It’s your heart attitude. You need to be willing to repent - to turn from your sins, and give your life to the Lord.

On the last evening of camp, at the beginning of one of the last sermons, the preacher asked us to bow our heads and remember our time of salvation. I could clearly remember the time. He then asked us to examine our heart. Was it a prayer that we said - or a heart attitude? Did we really repent of our sins and give our lives to the Lord, or was it meaningless words that came out of our mouths? Right then, it clicked for me. I knew the Lord was speaking to me. I hadn’t repented of my sins, and asked Christ to forgive me. I hadn’t really desired a change in my life - and given it completely to the Lord. I had prayed because that was what I was taught was the right thing to do - and because I thought it would keep me from going to Hell. My conscience bothered me greatly during the preacher’s entire message that night. I was crying quietly, and I just wanted him to be done. I honestly can’t remember what he preached that night. I just knew I was lost and needed to be saved. Nothing could have stopped me from repenting and giving the Lord my life that night!

After the preacher was finished, I went upstairs into a room with a friend, and poured my heart out to God. I knew that I didn’t have a relationship with Him. But, that is what I desired. I knew that I had never repented of my sins. But, I was now willing to repent and I wanted to give my sins to Him, along with my life. I knew He died on the cross for me - a wretched sinner. I was a good girl by most people’s standards. I never committed what most people would call horrible sins, but, in God’s eyes, all sins are the same. Up until that point, I had lived my life for myself. I did what pleased me, with no real thought of what Christ did for me on the cross. The Bible says, in Romans, chapter 5, verse 8, But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. That night, I finally saw my righteousness and good works as God saw them. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, Isaiah, chapter 64, verse 6. I surrendered my all to the Lord, I came to the end of myself that night. God changed me on December 29, 1992, never to be the same again! Without a doubt, I now have a relationship with Him. I went from knowing about God - to knowing Him personally! The book of First John, chapter 5, verse 13, says These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life. This verse from God’s Word assures me that I have a home in heaven!

All at once, peace flooded my soul! As it says in Romans, chapter 5, verse 1, Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” From that point on, I have had a purpose in life. I live to serve the Lord, and to bring glory to Him, as it says in Isaiah, chapter 43, verse 7, Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory. Proverbs, chapter 8, verse 35 tells us, For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord. The term “born again” is such an excellent term for the time I met Christ! I felt like I had just started living, all over again!The Lord has worked some great changes in my life. Am I perfect? Far from it! But now, my sins are covered by Christ’s blood. As it says in Second Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 17, Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. I don’t want to sin anymore. Not because I think that’s what will get me into heaven, but because I love the Lord and I know He loves me - I’m His child!

God sent His Son, Jesus, all the way from Heaven to die on the cross for my sins, as it says in John, chapter 3, verse 16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him shall have everlasting life. If I had gotten what I deserved, I would be bound for Hell, as described in Romans, chapter 3, verse 23, For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Instead, the Bible promise that I will have a home in Heaven, Romans, chapter 6, verse 23, For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Life is short. James, chapter 4, verse 14 says, For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. Why not live your life with a real purpose - serving the Lord. Life is too short, and eternity is too long not to consider what Christ did for you on Calvary. God loves you! He is willing and waiting to hear from you. I found that inner joy and peace I desired! I started living my life anew - you can too.

New Year's Eve - the SAHM, list version :)

- ONE - ginormous, new air mattress deflated and wrestled into the duffle bag

- SIX - loads of laundry

- ONE - trip to the airport to say "good-bye" to Granddaddy

- THREE - very, sad children

- ONE - missed exits because I was talking on my cellphone (oops!)

- THREE - hours of overtime my husband put in on New Year's Eve

- SEVEN - hours my brother-in-law (our resident "techie") spent transferring stuff to my new laptop and setting up our wireless network

- SIX - wild children running around my sister's new house for the first time (finally!)

- THIRTY - minutes it took me to extricate my children from my sister's house, find their coats, shoes, toys and get them into the van

- THREE - number of minutes prior to midnight that Scott and I sat down together on the living room floor, amidst toys, wires, and computer junk and realized "hey, it's almost New Year's" and got a New Year's kiss :)

- TWO - number of adults in this household who would have rather been in bed hours early and didn't understand when some teens in the neighborhood came out on their porch, screaming at midnight


It's official. We're getting old. But maybe, just maybe NEXT YEAR we'll have a party. Or actually care about New Year's. :)